In the seventh year of Hongwu, the legitimate eldest grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, was born.
He who resides as the legitimate heir will surely ascend to t...
When Zhu Yunying was in power, he often had the right to speak and make suggestions on matters concerning civil and military officials. Now that Zhu Yunying is the emperor, he will naturally respect some of his father's suggestions, and he still trusts his father's judgment.
Zhu Yunying and Old Zhu chatted as they enjoyed their dinner. As for Little Zhu, who was having too much fun, there was no need to worry; the little one wouldn't go hungry and was eating and drinking well.
Just as darkness fell, Zhu Yunying and Old Zhu saw lanterns lit up outside the palace, which made no further sense.
"Dad, we've sent Ruyi back." Little Zhu said with a grin, "We saw a lot of people outside today and bought a lot of things with Ruyi, but we're out of money again."
Zhu Yunying couldn't help but feel a headache coming on, feeling extremely frustrated. "Your monthly salary isn't small, and it's not easy for you to leave the palace. You've spent so much money; that takes skill!"
Little Zhu said matter-of-factly, "We need to spend money on ourselves, and we also need to buy things for our younger siblings! We also need to take care of our great-aunt, our great-grandfather, and those who haven't yet left the palace to establish their own households. This little bit of money isn't enough. We might run out of money, there are so many people in the family."
This reason seemed very convincing, at least Old Zhu was happy to hear it. "If you run out of silver beans, just tell us. We still have plenty of silver notes. We're not as stingy as your father. When he was your age, he had more money than he could spend, but now he won't let you spend any money."
"How can that be the same?" Zhu Yunying retorted, unconvinced. "When we were his age, we were already thinking about lifting the sea ban and taking command of the navy, but all he thinks about when he goes out is eating and drinking. But speaking of which, Grandfather should have given us the Tiger Tally. When will we finally get our Shadow Guards?"
Old Zhu chuckled and said bluntly, "When we die, the Shadow Guards will naturally be yours. Even without my orders, they'll all be yours. These people are worth using; they're all loyal to us. If something really happens, I reckon these are the only ones who would risk their lives to protect us."
Zhu Yunying couldn't help but let his imagination run wild. The whereabouts of the historical Zhu Yunwen are unknown. Although he most likely died in the fire in the capital, many stories have been passed down.
It's possible that this is still due to the power left behind by Zhu Yunwen, or perhaps it really is possible that the Shadow Guards protected Zhu Yunwen and his Crown Prince Zhu Wenkui as they disappeared.
Little Zhu was very happy, showing off what he had seen, "Dad, we saw a lot of military sons today, all of them swaggering around. We're just waiting for them to ride around the capital so we can scold them."
Joo Yoon-young jokingly remarked on Little Joo's childish behavior, "If you really want to scold them, just go ahead and scold them."
Little Zhu's eyes darted around, and he said with a grin, "They are, after all, children of martial arts masters. We can't punish them without reason. If we're unhappy, the people below won't know what to do. We know that rewarding merit and punishing demerit shouldn't be based solely on personal feelings."
Zhu Yunying was naturally quite satisfied with his grandson's answer. The old Zhu beamed with joy, believing his precious great-grandson possessed the qualities of a benevolent ruler and would undoubtedly be an outstanding heir to the Ming Dynasty, ensuring the dynasty would never lack good emperors.
Little Zhu leaned naturally against Old Zhu's chest, chewing on peanuts. "Great-grandfather, we've seen it today, and many people outside are using silver notes. We've looked for a long time, and although copper coins are still used, few people use them for large items these days."
Of course, the Ming Dynasty had a considerable amount of currency. Copper coins were essential for circulation, as they were used for many small items. Silver notes, or 'paper money,' were also being promoted by Zhu Yunying, and the people were increasingly accepting them.
As for gold, it doesn't actually circulate much in the market, while silver is relatively more widely circulated.
Joo Yoon-young was quite happy to see this situation; he felt it was actually a good thing and that it had to be done this way.
The Ming Dynasty was short of copper, so naturally, it tried to mint as few copper coins as possible. Silver notes and silver could now circulate more widely. However, one advantage of copper coins was their low face value, and the people genuinely valued them highly.
Zhu Yunying was somewhat proud, and it seemed that there was nothing to worry about regarding the security of the Ming Dynasty's currency for the time being.
With the continuous issuance of silver notes, backed by the imperial court and promoted by banks and other institutions, the public's acceptance of the Ming Dynasty's silver notes increased. Military officers and wealthy merchants, in particular, became increasingly aware of the benefits of these silver notes.
As for silver, it goes without saying that millions of taels of silver came from Japan every year. The massive influx of silver into the Ming Dynasty certainly made its currency more secure. Although these things couldn't be eaten or worn during years of famine, their existence did bring a great deal of security.
For the Ming Dynasty, a multi-pronged approach was the best option, which is why Zhu Yunying now had enough confidence to govern the Yellow and Huai Rivers, knowing that he now had more and more resources at his disposal.
This wasn't Zhu Yunying's blind confidence; it was simply that Zhu Yunying knew his own strength and the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. He knew to do only what he was capable of, and that the Ming Dynasty could continue to undertake large-scale projects at this time.
With Little Zhu back in the Qianqing Palace, it seems that whether Zhu Yunying stays or not is no longer of much significance. Whether it's a grandson or a great-grandson, as long as one is by his side, that's enough; Old Zhu's requirements don't seem particularly high.
Zhu Yunying was in a good mood. He could now leisurely return to the Eastern Palace, his true territory, where he would feel more at ease. After all, it was his own domain, so of course he could make his own decisions.
Zhu Yunying also needed to prepare for the morning court session and other upcoming matters, so he naturally needed to conserve his energy. While there wasn't much infighting in the court, it wasn't always easy.
Furthermore, Zhu Yunying was well aware that even though he seemed to have great power, he couldn't be too willful in many things and still needed to put on a show.
If you want to replace Yu Xin, you need to be mindful of the consequences and follow proper procedures. Zhu Yunying doesn't want to break the rules that were painstakingly established so easily and abruptly.
Ultimately, it's easy to break rules. Establishing rules can take years or even decades, but breaking them can happen overnight. Furthermore, the consequences of such disruptions can have lasting effects for a long time, posing a significant threat.
This meant that Zhu Yunying needed to pay even more attention to these matters, especially since the emperor needed to be mindful of the potential impact.
After teasing his youngest son, Zhu Yunying went to bed, preparing for a rather interesting and challenging morning court session, which many might perceive as a raging storm.
Another minister is about to be replaced. It seems that after Zhu Yunying ascended the throne, the officials are much 'safer'. However, these high-ranking officials are often prone to encountering many crises.
The changes in the six ministers of the Ming Dynasty still seem to be very frequent.
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